Welcome to the Hellmouth

 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Originally based on the 1992 movie of the same name, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS) is a coming-of-age, teen drama TV series from 1997 that aired for seven seasons until 2003. While the movie was not too well received, the series adaptation has become a cult classic and pop culture phenomenon. It also spawned a spin-off series in 1999 called Angel, staring the titular character Angel after his departure from BtVS. The two shows create what we call the Buffyverse.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer tells the story of teenage girl Buffy Summers, and her journey as the "Slayer"; the one girl in the world with the strength and ability to fight the vampires and demons. Buffy, along with her friends and Watcher (trainer/guardian), battle various demons and monsters in the fictional town of Sunnydale, California.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has cultivated a very large fanbase over the almost 30 years since it first aired. Thanks to streaming services, Buffy fans now span generations and the show is constantly gaining new fans. 

The Fandom

Merchandise

One of the most common ways fans interact with what they love is through merchandise, and Buffy fans are no different. From T-shirts to coffee mugs to Funko Pops, there is a myriad of merch available for fans of the Buffyverse. I personally own plenty of shirts as well as a board game, stickers, books, and other little collectables. One of the most common merchandise items for BtVS are the Funko Pops and action figures, as they can be collected to make a complete set. 
Keychains, stickers, pins, and T-shirts with quotes on them are also popular merch items. Decorative stakes, knives, scythes, and other replicas of weapons from the show are also fun merchandise items for fans to collect. Having a replica like Buffy's favorite stake, Mr. Pointy, allows fans to feel like they have an important part of the show and make them feel more connected to the characters they love.

Fan Art, Fan Edits, and Fanfiction

Fan art is another big way Buffy fans interact. There are many talented people who make their own renditions of characters and iconic scenes. Fan art is a great way to interact in a fandom because it allows fans to pay homage to the source material while also creating their own.
Created by @ascencio on Deviant Art


Fan edits and compilations are another way Buffy fans show their love for the show. The topic of the edits can range from a character's development over the seasons, a relationship from the show, funny jokes throughout the show, and many, many more. These compilations are great ways to see the progression of various aspects of the show. They can also be a fun way to reminisce about moments, jokes, and characters in the show.

Like many other shows and movies, fans of BtVS often imagine an alternate timeline or reality of the show. Fanfiction allows fans to these alternate realities where certain scenarios that did not canonically occur can be created. It is also commonly used to develop relationships that were either not explored on the show, like the pairing of Angel and Spike, or to add to preexisting relationships like Willow and Tara.

                 Buffy Summers | You're On Your Own, Kid                       


Buffy the Vampire Slayer moments that *actually* slay


Buffy Cosplay

Cosplaying as different Buffyverse characters is a pretty common occurrence within the fandom. Whether it be for Halloween or just for fun, fans go all out for their Buffy costumes. Even I have previously dressed up as Buffy Summers for Halloween in a previous year. Dressing up as one of your favorite characters is always fun because you get to embrace the character in a way you wouldn't usually be able to. It can also be fun putting the costume together and making it look as accurate as possible. 
                      

Theories

Seeing as Buffy is a show with a lot of sci-fi and fantasy elements to it, it's no surprise that fan theories are all over the internet, with varying levels of plausibility. A lot of fan theories tend to center around Buffy's little sister Dawn who was introduced to the show in season 5 in... unconventional ways, to say the least. Many people like to theorize about why and how Dawn came to be. Two of the biggest fan theories about Dawn are that Dracula helped to create her and that her existence caused Buffy's mother's death. I don't personally believe either of these theories, but they're fun ideas to think about. One of my personal favorite fan theories is one that crosses over into a show that's not even in the same universe. In the first season of Buffy's spin-off, Angel, David Boreanaz's character, Angel, learns of a prophecy where he will one day become human again. The theory goes that Angel does eventually become human again and actually becomes Boreanaz's character from the show Bones, which aired only a year after Angel ended. While this theory is really possible, it's a pretty interesting one to dig into and has a lot more backing it up than you'd expect. One of the most popular fan theories actually had a whole episode dedicated to the idea. In season 6, episode 17 "Normal Again", Buffy is in a mental institution and is being told that she has just been imagining all of the events of the show thus far. At the end of the episode, Buffy chooses to go back to her "dream" and the episode does not confirm what was actually reality. This episode sparked conversation within the fandom, causing people to wonder if maybe it all really was just a hallucination in Buffy's mind. 

Shipping in Sunnydale

The term "shipping" refers to the "support and/or hope for a romantic pairing of two people, typically fictional characters from a TV show or movie" (The Free Dictionary, n.d.). BtVS is no stranger to shipping culture and many fans have strong opinions about the pairings on the show, both canon and non-canon. Some of the more popular ships include Xander and Anya, Willow and Tara, and Willow and Oz. As for non-canon ships, the most popular is undoubtably Buffy and Faith. However, despite all the other ships on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, theres no question as to which two the fans really sink their teeth into. Before there were the love triangles of Edward/Bella/Jacob from Twilight or Damon/Elena/Stefan from The Vampire Diaries, there was the Angel/Buffy/Spike love triangle. Buffy had a very tumultuous relationship with both vampires, being with Angel for most of her high school years and Spike for a few of the later seasons. Neither of these relationships are without their problems, the main one being that Angel and Spike are both vampires and Buffy is a vampire slayer. But despite all of their problems, fans still have very strong opinions about both of these relationships and who Buffy should have ended up with. This topic sparks a lot of debate, disagreement, and often fighting within the fandom because of the strong opinions we all have, with Buffy and Angel being known as "Bangel" and Spike and Buffy as "Spuffy". There are very few people in the fandom that haven't picked a side or ship both equally. For the most part, you're either Team Angel or Team Spike. However, there are some fans who don't choose a side at all and instead ship Angel and Spike with each other, known as Spangel. Both Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy Summers, have both shared their opinions on the triangle and who they believe is Buffy's soulmate. However, they do not agree on the answer. Gellar gave her answer during the show's 20th anniversary reunion, claiming, "There was something so beautiful to me about the Buffy and Angel story. I think that Spike understood a different part of who Buffy was and I think she needed to understand that and discover. But for me as Buffy, I think Angel". Whedon is a little less sure of his opinion, originally claiming that he prefers Spuffy but that Buffy and Angel is "the grandest love story I will ever tell". However, in a previous interview when answering the question, he originally answered Spuffy, but corrected himself saying, "Actually, I'm a Spike/Angel shipper. Completely re-write the equation". 

Education and Analysis

Because of its cheesy name, many people who have never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer view it as a campy, unserious show. The first season even backs up that belief a little. However, Buffy is a show with incredible depth, meaning, and messages. BtVS was created as a way to show the struggles of adolescence by depicting them as real demons. There are plenty of books and publications that analyze the underlining messages and meanings of the show. One of the most popular, or well known within the fandom, is Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Myth, Metaphor, & Morality by Mark Field. This book is a collective discussion that goes episode by episode dissecting each one. Other similar works include The Why Buffy Matters by Rhonda Wilcox, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy by James South. There is actually a complete page on the Goodreads website of all the Buffy academia that has been written. There are also a plethora of video essays discussing various aspects of the show. Just looking up the phrase "Buffy the Vampire Slayer video essay" on Youtube will provide you with a ton of videos discussing things like "The Tragic Storytelling", Buffy's "Perfect Episode", and the implications of some of the lore. My personal favorite example of this is the ongoing series by the Youtube channel, Passion of the Nerd. On his channel, he goes episode by episode of both BtVS and Angel, breaking down each episode, discussing the important lore and plot elements, and going over the overarching deeper themes and messages of each episode. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has also made its way to the college world. In 2011, Portland State University introduced its new course titled "Exploring Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The course would discuss the various themes, metaphors, and production of the show. It would also discuss the unique dialogue, which is now known as "Buffy speak."

Passion of the Nerd's "Forever" 5x17 Review


Conclusion

Buffy the Vampire Slayer undoubtably has a very strong and loyal fanbase. Since it first aired 26 years ago, more and more people have fallen in love with the show. There are a lot of ways fans interact within the fandom, even more than I mentioned. Buffy is a timeless show that will always relate to people, no matter how much time has passed since the final episode aired. It is a show that will continue to gain new fans while always retaining its place in the hearts of old fans. I know I personally will always be a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and the two shows will always have a special place in my heart, much like many other fans of the Buffyverse.

Works Cited

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series 1997–2003) - IMDb. (1997, March 10). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/

Buffy/Angel Commission by ascenciok on DeviantArt. (2015, February 25). DeviantArt. https://www.deviantart.com/ascenciok/art/Buffy-Angel-Commission-516334207

r/buffy. (n.d.). Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/buffy/top/?t=all

Tech, P. (2016, October 27). 39 Creative Buffy Costumes For Diehard Fans. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/164944405082749500/

Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Buffyverse Wiki | Fandom. (n.d.). Buffyverse Wiki.

https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer

Amazon.com: CENWA Buffy Quote Hardest Thing In This World Is To Live In It Be Brave Live

Keychain Buffy The Vampire Slayer Jewelry 90’s Television Gifts (The Hardest K) : Clothing, Shoes &

Jewelry. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/CENWA-Hardest-Keychain-Vampire

Television/dp/B087R3FPD8


















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Since 1989

Image
Taylor Swift     Who's Taylor Swift anyway?      Taylor Swift is one of the most loved pop stars in the nation. Her fan base has been growing steadily since her debut album dropped in 2006. Her fandom is full of some of the most creative and committed people. "Swifties" is the name that's been given to her fans and they are all proud to say it. From clothing to jewelry, fanart, and more, Taylor Swift's fans do it best.  Fan Art The internet has been flooded with Taylor Swift fans preparing for their turn to see her in concert. Fans have been customizing very creative outfits to wear to her concerts. Since her tour will include songs from all of her eras, fans are basing their outfits on their favorite album, and for some, it's them all!  One fan recently made a portrait of Taylor using lavender buds. Artist Nathan Wyburn spent hours on the project and his video was even shared on the official Taylor Nation TikTok account! This portrait was inspired by ...
Read more

The Hidden Gem

Image
  February  9th, 2022 The Hidden Gem Walking   down the main street of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, you come across a nearly 200-year-old church with a hidden gem in the basement. The First Presbyterian Church has a long history of helping the community and now is the site of The Union County Giving Closet. The Giving Closet is a charitable, nonprofit organization that serves families who are registered to the Union County Food Bank. It provides new or gently used  clothes and shoes  to  children up to 18 years of age. Alison Collins is a kind, positive person who developed The Giving Closet in April of 2022. She said with a smile, "My purpose is to provide for children and make it easier for their parents." Alison works for The Presbyterian Church and The Giving Closet. Often, her hours tend to overlap. Many days, she comes in early and stays late and comes in on the weekends to complete tasks for The Giving Closet. Her normal day consists of answeri...
Read more

A Look Into The Simlish World

Image
The Sims 4 Virtual World: The Fandom         Since 2000, The Sims has been an evolving video game franchise that gives gamers entire control of their creations. According to Favis (2020), The Sims has 20 million players worldwide, with over 200 million copies sold on PC. The Sims give its users the ability to create and design characters, called Sims, while giving them certain traits that will be apparent throughout the game by moodlets. For example, moodlets show what kind of mood that sim is in; Happy, sad, angry, playful, confident, inspired, focused, flirty, and embarrassed. By the user selecting interactions in the game, such as making a sim cook, sleep, clean, sing, or swim, these actions will either boost or decrease a Sim's mood. Furthermore, gamers can build houses from scratch in any way they please and choose outfits for their sim to wear for certain events. Sims even has its own made-up language, called Simlish. Over the years, The Sims has evolved, ...
Read more